Question about OCD diagnosis
Hey there. I have been struggling with severe, debilitating intrusive thoughts and (mostly mental) compulsions for years now, and after a lot of research, I have come to the conclusion that I probably have Pure-O OCD. I'm currently in therapy for other problems, but I am afraid of bringing this up to my therapist. My intrusive thoughts focus on things that disgust me and I would never willingly share the details of them with anyone, even my therapist. My question is, will I have to explain my thoughts to my therapist if I ask for an OCD diagnosis? Could I explain to my therapist that I can't share what they are about? If anyone has had experience with therapists or being diagnosed, I would really appreciate some feedback.
PS. When I say I don't want to talk about them in detail, I mean it. Anything more than "I have intrusive thoughts and they are affecting me badly" is out of the question.
@brunobu my partner suffers with the same thing as you, it is less about what the intrusive thoughts are and more about what is the cause of them. Your therapist would be a great person to talk to , you don't have to go into detail about the thoughts and images. But CBT is a great help for OCD, and getting it off your chest will help too. Don't worry your perfectly normal :) my partner is getting help too and she is getting better every day. Good luck !
You can tell your therapist you're having horrible intrusive thoughts without mentioning OCD, as if you were unfamiliar with the disorder. In my experience, therapists/psychiatrists hate it when we discover things online and often dismiss those concerns.
And I get the bit about not wanting to share. Same thing happens to me. I've told doctors half about what's going on with me and still don't have the courage to reveal the other half. But if you have a good, understanding therapist, nothing you say will make them back off or make fun of you.
Good luck.